Mojito means "ringtail" in Spanish. The term is also used for a cocktail consisting of ginger ale and lemonade. The origin of the drink is unclear, but the most likely story is that a Cuban waiter offered a girl a drink while enjoying a game of billiards. The drink was meant to be enjoyed between the billiards game, so the groom-to-be mixed the ginger ale, water, ice, mint, lime, and ice in a blender. It became known as the Mojito.
Mojito is essentially a traditional Cuban highball, with five basic ingredients: white wine, sugar, lemon juice, lime juice, and soda. Its combination of sweet, citrus, and floral flavor is meant to complement the white wine, which is usually dry, spicy, or dry red. In order to make the drink taste better, the sugar (often called "spice") must be added at the last minute, forcing bartenders to keep their cool and not add too much. Adding soda makes the drink taste even better. Most of all, it makes the Mojito very easy to serve, because it is easily incorporated into the "sandwich" format popular at bars.
To make the Mojito a truly authentic Cuban cocktail, the sugar must be added prior to the mixing of the other ingredients. This is because most Cubans will not drink a glass of red wine with a meal that contains sugar. At the most, they will drink it with a dessert. The sugar adds darkness and flavor to the drink, making it very rich and dark. Other than that, the other ingredients are almost the same, but you can substitute soda for regular soda if you are not going to use the sugar to sweeten your drink.
One of the most popular forms of cocktails in the United States is the Mojito. While it was created in New Mexico, where the capital of the Republic was Santa Fe, it has taken on a life of its own, with restaurants all over the country claiming to have the best version. Mojito variations can include the addition of simple syrup, ginger ale, lemonade, triple sec, or any number of other flavors, but the original recipe always calls for "simple syrup". This is easy to find at just about any grocery store in the country and is inexpensive to make at home.
Now that you know what kind of drink ingredients combine to make a great Mojito, you need to know how to make it. You start out by making a simple syrup recipe from your local grocery store, which you can find online. This recipe requires some ice, grape juice, and club soda. Mix these four ingredients together and let it rest for about five minutes so that the ice melts into a slushy texture. Then, you pour this mixture into a blender, a high-powered blender works best, but a regular blender will work, too.
Once you blend the ingredients together, you can pour them into a glass and add some ice to cover the drink and enjoy your cold desert. Mojito is a relatively simple drink to make, so if you feel up to it, you can completely change the taste of the simple syrup by adding different flavors to it. Club soda works well with the tropical flavor of the simple syrup, and if you want a sweeter tasting version, try orange juice.
Common change people make when making Mojito is reducing the amount of ice used. If you're not a big fan of the heavy taste of club soda, then swapping in an extra spoonful of ice gives the drink a much sweeter taste. You can also substitute lime juice for club soda if you don't like the taste of lime. Another way to change the taste of the drink without changing the ingredients is to add a bit of honey or strawberries to the drink, which will add some tartness and a little bit of complexity to the drink without increasing the calorie count.
If you're enjoying the cold weather with a cold beverage such as a Mojito, then you should definitely keep some ice on hand. Mojito can be made even more refreshing if you transfer it into a glass jug with a twist of lemon peel. Simply place the glass in the refrigerator to chill, then add a fresh sprig of lemon or lime and stir to combine. Then, you can add a squeeze of lime juice to the glass and enjoy your cold drink. If you want to make your Mojito a little more interesting, you can try to serve it over ice, but be sure not to add too much of the juice. A pitcher drink works well for this.
